International Affairs

Unexpected Letter

Chapter 28: Unexpected Letter

"You don't say..." Sammy murmured after Katelyn finished her story.

"It sounds like a movie," Jane added.

"Yeah, so then Derek and I told each other how we felt," Katelyn concluded. "I guess we're okay now."

"Okay?" Sammy asked, laughing. "It sounds like you two are more than okay."

"Wait," Jane said. "So are you and Derek dating now? Friends? A fling?"

Katelyn fell back onto her bed. "I don't know," she sighed. "I really don't know..."

"But you do like him?" Sammy asked.

"The question is if I can like him," Katelyn corrected, closing her eyes.

"True," Sammy sighed. "Jane?"

"What?" Jane asked, capping her moisturizer.

"Share some wisdom."

"Well," Jane said, setting the bottle back on her desk. "We're out of time. That's just the truth. I think we should just make the most of what's left of senior year. The senior dance is tomorrow and for the first time in Grace Marshall history, we have dates."

"True," Sammy replied, immediately perking up. "Jane's right, Katelyn," she added. "Just enjoy the rest of high school and we have to do bigger things with our lives."

"It just feels so inconclusive," Katelyn muttered.

"Yeah," Sammy agreed. "I think the boys really messed with our rhythm," she explained. "None of the alumni had to deal with young love and teenage hormones."

"Love is so messed up..." Katelyn added. "Like what happens when you go on a mission and meet a guy you fall in love with? What Grace Marshall girl knows how to deal with her emotions?"

"Are you talking about your mom?" Sammy asked gently.

Katelyn nodded. "My mom loved my dad so much that she gave up spying. I mean, she trained her whole life to be in Co Ops, to work for the IA. What the heck is this love to make her throw it away...and you know, be a regular person."

The girls sat in silence for a while.

"I don't think I love Cole then," Sammy finally said, breaking the silence. "I wouldn't ever give up spying for him. I've worked too hard, studied too intensely and trained too much to just flush it down the toilet like a disposable tampon."

"Nice analogy," Jane said, smirking.

Sammy giggled.

"Exactly," Katelyn continued. "None of us know anything about love because we haven't found anyone to make giving up our careers worth it.

"But we would gladly lay down our lives for each other," Jane argued. "So, we're not heartless beings who only care about our careers."

Katelyn hugged her pillow. There were only a few nights left before she has to say goodbye to this dorm room forever. It was hard imagining a whole life ahead of her when she had spent her whole life in the academy.

"Perhaps we're taught it's an honor to give up everything to help the world but that giving up our career for love isn't," Katelyn suggested.

"That's deep," Jane said, nodding.

"This is making my head hurt," Sammy muttered. "Why spend our last few nights talking about depressing theories of life. I for one just want to look great tomorrow night."

Katelyn laughed. The mood finally lightened. "Alright, we should probably sleep then. Can't have dark circles under our eyes can we?"

"Precisely," Sammy said, leaping from Katelyn's bed back onto her own.